Louisville

This trip seems like ages ago when in reality, it was just a couple months ago.  This is back when I thought, or rather knew, that we were moving.  One of the very strong contenders was Louisville.  On a Sunday afternoon, Carl was packing up and getting ready to drive to Louisville for his interview.  William and Emilia were sleeping, and I was already missing Carl.  On the spur of the moment, we made the decision to go as a family.  Within a half-hour, the car was packed and all kids were in the car ready to go.  Carl is many things, but spontaneous is not one of the words I would use to describe him so this was a surprise for me.  Little did I know that Carl had more, even bigger surprises in store. 

 

 The kids and I spent the first day at the science museum which was really nice.  We actually spent all our time in the kids' portion.  This museum came highly recommended by everyone.  As in, when I asked anyone what to do in Louisville in the winter, the answer was always, "the science museum".  When I asked what to do beyond the science museum....crickets.  This left a pit in my stomach as I imagined this science museum becoming my second home every winter for the foreseeable future.   The picture above was taken in the bathroom and was highly amusing to our little dino-obsessed boy, and I thought it was pretty funny too.

 

 I love museums that account for younger siblings.  Really, I feel it is a sign of a quality museum when they build a play space for the little ones.  Emmy gave her seal of approval to this one.

 

 Lily is so great at entertaining her siblings, and I just love the way William looks at her with love and admiration.

 

 The museum had some cool features with lots of water elements.

 

 Baby Emmy not looking so much like a baby anymore.

 Kids at play

 

 Our little explorer

 

 Making discoveries

 

 We had to give Lily the full hotel experience with a soak in the tub followed by room service.  She was very comfortable with this arrangement.

 

 Of course, if you are going to Louisville, you have to stop by Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

 

 One of the best parts of going solo with three little ones is that people take pity on you.  On this particularly cold morning, we got a private tour complete with an up-close visit with a race horse and retired jockey.

 

 To kill a little more time while Carl finished up interviewing on the second day, we stopped by their nature center.  Not really impressive by any measure, but it fit the bill for what we needed that morning: close, indoors, and free.  And just look at those squeezable cheeks on that baby - so precious.

 

The kids enjoyed chasing down the rooster anyway.

 

Overall, it was a nice trip, and I'm so glad that we went.  I'm also so glad that we are staying in St. Louis! :)